Research summary
Cells use their stress responses to survive challenges like heat, toxins or nutrient shortages. These responses are essential in the short term, but if they remain switched on too long, they can damage the cell and contribute to diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration.
Dr. Diane Haakonsen, Canada Research Chair in Cellular Stress Signalling, has already discovered that cells have built-in “brakes” to turn off stress responses once danger has passed—and that losing this ability can have harmful consequences. Now, she and her research team are uncovering how these brakes work, focusing on the molecular and structural pathways that switch off different stress responses. Using genetic screens, cell biology and biochemical analysis, they are investigating how failure to silence certain cellular stress responses—particularly those linked to mitochondria—contributes to neurodegenerative disease. Their findings could reveal new drug targets and strategies for treating neurodegeneration and cancer by restoring the cell’s ability to resolve stress safely.